


Beating In My Heart

by nobetterlove



Series: Thunderstruck [4]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Deaf Peter Parker, Established Relationship, Fluff and Smut, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Mechanic Tony Stark, Porn with Feelings, Romantic Soulmates, Schmoop, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:48:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24135364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nobetterlove/pseuds/nobetterlove
Summary: At the end of the summer, Peter is all set to head out to Cambridge and start his semester at MIT - so Tony takes them on a little vacation to capitalize on the last few days together before they're separated for a little while. Time apart is hard, but a house feels much more like a home when Peter and Tony are there together.
Relationships: Peter Parker/Tony Stark
Series: Thunderstruck [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1722901
Comments: 4
Kudos: 62





	Beating In My Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! 
> 
> This one is probably my favorite of the series so far. The depth of their relationship grows a little more with each piece - and it's a cool thing to see evolve on the screen in front of me. There's probably going to be at least two more parts to this, so here's hoping you enjoy!

Peter learned pretty quickly how nice it was to not be a high school student. Though he hadn’t been doing a full-time schedule for the entirety of his senior year, Peter didn’t realize how much time school cut into the day. With just a summer left to put together his entire life, make sure Tony didn’t spook and decide not to head to Cambridge with him, and spend as much time as he could with the older man, Peter was pretty excited by the prospect of extra time. What he also didn’t realize, however, was having extra free time meant doing absolutely nothing without really realizing it.

The normal time Peter got up for school, he was usually heading in from the garage to settle into the warmth of what he now considered to be his bed, too. It was easy to fall into the seamless rhythm and routine of being with Tony full time. It was great and also insanely distracting. Tony’s ideas were always coming – from all directions, at all times of the day. It took Peter a little bit to get used to the man getting up during dinner and walking out of the house or scrambling around the room until he found something to write his idea down on. The first couple weeks of it drove Peter bonkers but soon, he found himself leaving little notepads around just in case Tony got an idea and went floundering around.

Needless to say, a whole month went by before Peter even realized he hadn’t done anything he set out to do with his time. MIT did a lot of legwork for him – since he was coming from a school that catered predominantly to the deaf population, they sent the process to get disability accommodations in their information packet. The whole thing seemed lengthy and would take a stupid amount of phone tag. Not to mention the fact that he needed to get an apartment and keep Tony on the idea of setting up a wing in Boston – or getting him there at the very least. Peter knew to trust Tony at his word – but there were so many parts and pieces that went into Tony’s day to day life. It would take a lot work to make that happen and for some reason, Peter suddenly felt uncomfortable with the lack of movement in that direction. The unease woke him up a little earlier than normal, the bed unsurprisingly empty – despite the fact that they stumbled in from the garage around 7AM that morning.

Peter strapped his watch to his wrist and rolled himself off the edge of the bed. His limbs still felt a little heavy from sleep – though his brain wasn’t going to let that heaviness drag him down. No, Peter probably wouldn’t feel good until he got the dominating thoughts out and into the open. Peter was being silly, too – he could rationally understand that. Tony never gave him any indication that he’d changed his mind. The man was an adult after all – they both were, if something changed, the least they could do was talk about it. With that decided, he pulled on some pants and walked into the open kitchen – a sense of surprise rolling over him when he saw Tony butted up to the stove, a spatula in his hand. Peter paused his approach and watched from a distance. This was Tony in his element, the man completely himself in every way. There weren’t enough times Peter got to see this, so he leaned against the wall and watched.

After another minute or two, Tony turned towards Peter, a huge smile on his face. He put the spatula down and started moving his fingers, “you know I’m not deaf, right? You weren’t quiet when you walked in here. Try not sounding like a moose trampling through the house next time you want to be a voyeur.” Tony shot him a wink and pointed towards the table. “I’m surprised you’re up so early. I was hoping I could surprise you with this in bed,” he shrugged and went back to whatever he’d been pushing around the pan on the stove.

Peter shook his head and sat down at the table – their table now that Peter was officially moved in until he left for Cambridge. No matter how antsy the next conversation made him, Peter was not unhappy about the situation he found himself in. This wasn’t the first time he walked into the kitchen to the smell of breakfast – and he was certain it wouldn’t be the last. He wanted this for every day now that he’d gotten a taste of it – and that thought kept him firm in his decision.

Fiddling with the cool Star Wars salt and pepper shakers Peter brought with him from his collection, he waited a little impatiently for Tony to finish up. It never made any sense to disrupt him while his hands were full – he hated having to lip read anything Tony had to say. Their line of communication was so strong, it felt wrong to not see Tony’s fingers flying into the signs. When Tony was eventually finished, he leaned over Peter and placed a plate in front of him, the older man snagging a kiss on the way back up. He took a seat at the chair catty corner to Peter and made a big show of putting his napkin in his lap before looking over at the younger man. “You’ve got some sort of face. What’s up, Pete?” Tony signed, the man bypassing his fork for the coffee instead – he took a pointed sip.

Peter felt himself laugh – his cheeks burning from the blush it created. “You knowing me so well makes keeping you on your toes hard, Tony,” Peter started with, his hands moving fast. “I think I’m feeling a little antsy about Cambridge. We haven’t had a conversation about it since I first got accepted and I want to make sure that we’re on the same page. You’re coming with me, right?” Getting that last sign out made him feel like a weight was lifted. It felt almost like betrayal, to be even the slightest bit untrusting in his thoughts towards Tony. He glanced over at him, Peter able to read Tony’s actions just as much as the words coming from his hands.

The man looked cool as a cucumber and a smile was even stretched across his face. “Yeah, Pete. I said I’d go to Cambridge with you. There are a ton of things that need to happen – many of them behind the scenes and currently in motion. There are investors interested in setting up a leg of Stark Industries in Boston and the building space is currently being negotiated. I may have to fly back and forth every now and again – but I’m there, Pete. In fact, I was hoping you’d like to go out to Cambridge sometime in the next couple of weeks and look at apartments,” Tony stopped then, his hand moving to cup Peter’s cheek tenderly.

“I was going to be all romantic about it, but since you’re impatient – now you know.” Tony made a sour face for a moment, then wiggled his eyebrows to accompany the sarcastic shrug of his shoulders. Peter felt that inevitable rush of relief flow through him, the sincerity on Tony’s face just as important as the words coming from his hands. Over the past few months of getting to know one another, Peter figured out that Tony spoke more loudly with his eyes and gestures. Especially when it was just him and Peter. Many of their conversations were silent and consisted of a couple movements of the eyes, or a singular touch.

“Sorry, Tony. You know I trust you. You know I know how much you’re in this. I just – there are a lot of things that need to happen and it’s already almost July.” He shifted in his seat, shrugging his shoulders. “And I’m glad to know, by the way. It’s one more thing I can cross off my list.” He returned the gesture from earlier and reached out, passing his fingers across the softness of Tony’s bare cheek. “You’re my favorite.”

The rest of that particular breakfast went incredibly well – well enough in fact that they bypassed the garage for the rest of the day and spent it in bed, instead. Peter let himself luxuriate in the fact that there was someone making plans that included him – especially the kind of plans that included a nice place to stay, a beautiful garage to work in, and the man he loved by his side – all the time, not just some of it. That was enough to give him the kickstart he needed to get all of his documentation collected to give to disabilities services. He figured having an interpreter there to take notes for him would be a good way to supplement what he missed in the translation. At the end of that very week, Peter had someone reach out to him about it. There was now someone totally dedicated to the notes of one Peter Parker. Like he figured, it felt nice to get things checked off the list. With that down, he started to look at the housing market not far from campus.

In his search, Peter figured out a couple things he didn’t have an idea about before. Being an adult was expensive – some of the nicer houses were asking for an amount of money he’d never even seen before. Though - his name was on a patent currently waiting to be processed and the proceeds for the Stark Ferrari line were being funneled into an account that gave Peter his allotted percentage. If he asked Tony, his idea of how much he was worth would probably change. Regardless, he felt a knot form in his stomach at the thought of having to pay so much just to live.

The other thing he decided was that despite the prices, they deserved a house that would fit their needs. There were many nice places that would restrict Tony in a lot of ways – Peter knew how much the garage meant to him. It was pretty easy to narrow down the search to places with any extra space that could be converted into a workspace for the older man – for them. The narrower the search became, the more the first conundrum of cost came back into play. Thinking rationally, Peter knew Tony already had a handful of places picked out for the two of them to look at that were nowhere near the prices Peter was glancing at. Yet, he felt his skin prickle a little. No wonder May and Ben were always worried about extra spending – it wasn’t cheap to live in a functioning society.

It always felt nice being right. Not only did Tony have several houses picked out, there were big penthouse apartments, and empty properties on the list, too. The ride on the private jet was filled with the two of them going back and forth about how much they’d spend and how grandiose things really needed to be. Peter knew Tony was used to being in a big place and kept that in mind – despite the frugal nature in his brain screaming at him. They managed to get the list down to a few properties that were the best fit for the both of them. He figured he couldn’t have done any better than that. Tony was a stubborn man and was only just now learning how to do the compromising thing. Even still, Peter figured Tony was going to do what was best for them, no matter how silly it made Peter feel. Growing up in a small apartment in Queens, most of the spaces seemed like mansions – not places people built a home in.

Peter was quickly proven wrong when they walked into the last house on the list. It was Tony’s pick, the one he was really excited about – and Peter could see why. There was a detached garage that could easily fit two of their lifts in it. He watched Tony walk the space and nod happily every few steps. The front of the house was an open floor plan – there was an empty room off to the left and right of the main door and in the middle of the floor was a huge staircase that broke off into a huge open floor plan on the second level, too. The master bedroom opened up into the loft area and was the only room on the second floor. All the other rooms were downstairs and took up almost as much space as Peter’s childhood home. They ended in the kitchen where Tony inspected all of the surfaces – the nodding from earlier back and more excited than before.

The realtor broke away from them after a quick conversation with Tony – this was the first time they got to see the entire space by themselves. Tony’s eyes were glowing, his idea face firmly planted in the creases of his forehead and the crinkle of his eyes. He liked it; Peter could tell. Good thing, he thought – the place felt like home to Peter the second they walked in the door. “What do you think?” Tony signed in his direction, the man’s eyes still moving a mile a minute – the future remodels for the place more than likely already being categorized in his head.

Peter smiled broadly – “I love it. I know why you saved it for last and I’m in. We could bring the Charger and your Ferrari. We could even bring a couple lifts. We could be happy here.” Peter watched Tony’s face soften, the words bringing him back to where the rest of the world was – his brain finally slowing down.

“I’ll be happy wherever you are, Pete. This place lets us bring a little more of New York with us, that’s all. I’m glad you like it – the realtor is putting the paperwork together for it now.” Peter scrunched up his nose and shook his head. Of fucking course he was.

It felt a little weird, to end the day as a homeowner – but then again, days were always ending like that with Tony. Peter knew he was well on the way to making all his dreams come true – and he knew he had the perfect person beside him to help make that happen.

And if the picture he took of the key to their new home had the most likes he’d ever gotten – Peter wasn’t above feeling over the moon about that.

\----

For the rest of the summer, Peter and Tony spent time between New York and Cambridge – putting their house together and getting Stark Industries under control enough for Tony to be comfortable leaving. Tony didn’t like the day-to-day business shit, anyway – so handing that and the CEO title to Pepper was a pretty easy decision. After years of working his life away, he wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to start something new with his other half. He couldn’t wait to work with his hands and create instead of worrying about sales figures and patent application. Peter’s asking him to join him was big, he knew that. The fact that Peter even wanted to include him in that part of his journey was more than enough to shuffle some things in his life around to make room for his young soulmate. He hadn’t really thought about a future before and now that there was one standing right in front of him, Tony was going to do everything in his power to make it work.

Which is why it was nice that Stark Industries was doing so well. The inclusion of Peter’s transmission to some of their more streamline models skyrocketed sales – and his other half’s ability to sweet talk a couple investors at their little celebration was working in their favor. During one of their trips to their new home, they took a look at a space for the Boston area SI garage and immediately fell in love. Tony could already imagine what he wanted to put where, how Peter’s workspace would look – how much fun they would have putting together a brand-new garage. A garage that, for better or worse, was going to be Tony and Peter’s. It didn’t take much convincing to have the investors moving on the property, either. When Peter left at the end of the summer, Tony would only have to spend a month or so on his own before heading to Cambridge for good – heading there to finally start making a home for himself.

Determined to make the most out of the last few days together before being apart for a while – Tony sneakily booked them a small bungalow in Seattle. The idea came to his head when he noticed all of the Mariners stuff sitting in the boxes they’d been putting together for storage. When Tony asked Peter about it, the boy lit up – his face splitting into that ever so charming grin. “Ben went to college in Washington. He brought all of the Mariner's stuff back just to piss off my dad. He was a hardcore Mets fan. It was their running joke and ever since – I’ve just picked up stuff whenever I found it.” Peter signed with a smile on his face the entire time, the look familiar any time he spoke about any of his family – especially about his parents.

He figured that the end of the summer would be the best time to catch a ball game and enjoy all of the cool stuff Seattle had to offer. Including a vintage car show that Tony couldn’t wait to surprise Peter with. To pull off making the entire thing a surprise, Tony recruited the help of May. It took a bit of convincing – but he was starting to learn the ins and outs of charming all of the Parker’s. She managed to make up a sound enough excuse to get Peter out of the house so Tony could get a bag packed and have them ready to get on the SI jet later that day.

The look on Peter’s face when they pulled up right outside the jet made Tony laugh – his hand moving to press against his heart. That was quickly becoming a silent thing between them, the ease in which they could express their appreciation for one another. Peter caught him doing it and smiled – a look of pure excitement on his face. “I should have known you were up to something. May is the worst liar, Tony,” Peter signed towards him, his eyebrows quirked in amusement. “Where are we going?” Tony caught himself staring at Pete’s face and completely missed the signs, his face softening slightly.

“You’re so goddamn good looking – you distracted the hell out of me. What did you say?” Tony’s fingers moved quickly, the slightest bit of secondhand embarrassment overtaking him. He knew that Peter understood just how infatuated Tony really was. It was one thing to know and a complete other to be given proof time and time again. The tips of his cheeks felt warm from the blush that settled there.

“You know I’m going to get on the plane. You don’t have to butter me up. I asked where we were going, old man.” Tony heard a soft chuckle leave Peter’s throat and his insides clenched a little. There weren’t many times Tony got to hear the noises of Peter Parker. His young lover was surprisingly vocal during sex, but Tony understood how easy it was to lose control. Any other time, Peter’s spoken words were very particularly uttered. The little squeaks, grunts, and laughs that Tony got to hear in the meantime were genuine and real – the slightest tease of what could have been.

Smiling, Tony signed back – “We’re going to Seattle. I thought that we could catch a Mariners game.” He almost lost it again when Peter’s eyes widened – the iris in the middle looked strikingly like a tea saucer or a red blood cell. Tony reached over and pinched his cheek – his fingers leaving behind the slightest hint of that fleshy blush he loved so damn much.

Peter leaned into the touch, the younger man’s eyes closing for a moment. “You shouldn’t exist. I hope you know that. I can’t believe we’re going to Seattle. To see a Mariners game.” He didn’t say more, Peter successfully stopping his own babble with a swift kiss to Tony’s lips.

A few hours later found them landing at the Seattle airport – the jet making little fuss on the runway. Tony collected Peter against him and led him across the tarmac. His boyfriend fell asleep a little over halfway through the flight. They’d hit a bit of turbulence about an hour into their journey and without asking, Peter got out of his own chair and climbed into the safety of Tony’s lap. It wasn’t often that Tony was reminded of how many years were between them – but as he kept his arms wrapped tight around the young man’s body, he couldn’t help but think about how young Peter seemed in that moment.

Feeling his soulmate snuggle into him and actually relax said so many things – Tony was the person he trusted, the arms he offered meant safety, love, and affection. It did something to a person, he figured – being so undeniably trusted. A different sort of resolve settled in Tony’s chest in those last couple of hours in the air. He loved Peter with all he had. He’d give him the world, he just needed to ask. At the same time, he’d do anything to protect his other half – absolutely anything.

Peter’s hand stayed in his from the time he came around completely in the airport until they were walking into their home for the next couple of days. Every time they passed something cool while in the backseat of the car, Peter would point it out, or pull his phone out to quickly Google what he thought it might be. Long fingers squeezed Tony’s in excitement every few seconds and Peter’s nervous habit of picking his cuticles reared its head, the man’s anxiety tangibly pulsing through him. Tony finally got his hand back when they walked in – Peter ran ahead of him into the open space of the room to investigate.

Though he’d booked something a little smaller, there was a gorgeous fireplace and a well put together kitchen – all the things he’d need to make their last few days together a real treat. Thinking about all the things he’d need to order in his grocery delivery, Tony let out a startled noise when arms wrapped around his waist. Peter was just an inch or two taller, so his head fit pretty perfectly next to Tony’s. The arms around him pulled him close and lips were pressed against the side of his neck. Tony leaned into it, his neck relaxing ever so slightly to really lean into the man behind him. Another kiss to his neck had the skin prickling – the next sent them racing down the hall, all eyes on the bed that could be seen from the end of the hallway.

Christening the place took up the rest of their evening, and when they eventually resurfaced, Tony found a highly rated Chinese food place and ordered them take out. The couch in the rental was surprisingly comfortable, so they spent the rest of the night tucked together on it – fighting over the last couple of eggrolls and watching trash tv. As far as first nights of vacation went, it was low key and relaxed – probably the most perfect evening in Tony’s opinion.

They were so wrapped up in each other that neither noticed they passed out on the couch – not until, of course, Tony’s back woke him up in protest. Blinking awake, he laughed out loud at the position they were in. Pete’s head rested on Tony’s shoulder and his lower limbs were bent at a weird angle on the far-side cushions. Tony’s arm was still wrapped around Peter’s middle and the twinge in his neck told him he’d spent the past few hours with it bent at a weird angle – probably propped up against Peter’s own. It took a little poking and prodding, but Tony had them down the hall and into the bed before Peter could even force himself to really wake up.

The next day was a little bit more eventful. Their Mariners game wasn’t until the following day – and Tony planned to show the younger man as much of Seattle as he could in the short time they were there. The Space Needle started the day off and proved to be a very good idea. Peter’s eyes were wide the entire 41 second elevator ride – his head turned on a swivel, the younger man trying to absorb as much as he could. Reaching the observation deck, Tony felt Peter grab his hand tightly and lead them out of the elevator. His fingers were squeezed in that tight fashion the entire time they walked around and took in all of the sights.

Tony pointed out the downtown Seattle skyline and watched with wonder while Peter just looked at him – awe and excitement so evident in the glance. Tony didn’t even shrug away from Peter’s request to take pictures in front of all the different views – how could he deny the man anything? “Send me those,” Tony signed, his cheeks flushed from the combination of the windy gusts and pure affection that was radiating from him. He watched Pete post one to social media before sending a whole slew of them to Tony. The reassuring buzz against his thigh made him sigh in delight.

Pike Place Market came next. Tony had them dropped off not far from a place that he knew Peter was going to lose his mind about. Walking hand-in-hand with the younger man felt like such a treat. New York was so familiar to them that when they needed anything, there wasn’t much exploration or adventure. It felt nice to develop routine, Tony lived most of his life that way. Yet, watching Peter blossom under the glow of exploration, Tony was pretty convinced that finding new things with the other by his side was going to be much better than routine.

He knew he could create routine anywhere – he was a grown ass man, after all. He also knew that finding a person that made him want to be spontaneous had to be acknowledge. Most of Tony’s life included self-induced isolation and with Peter by his side, he didn’t have to rely on that so much, anymore. His chest felt warm at the thought – his insides the warmest they’d probably ever been. That feeling continued when Peter finally spotted the comic book store he’d been excited to show him. “Looks like they have the latest Spider-Man issue,” Peter signed in his direction, those excited hands flying through the signs only to stop and immediately grab Tony’s.

He didn’t want to admit that he bought everything Peter so much as even looked at – it was too much to see the man so goddamn happy. He couldn’t be blamed for the need to keep that happiness alive with the little trinkets and souvenirs. After a quick bite to eat, they were tucking themselves back into the car and heading back towards the bungalow. The second they got into the seat, Peter tucked himself against Tony’s side, his head leaning against him in a way that caused the longer curls on his head to brush against Tony’s nose with every inhale of breath. He buried his nose there and spent the rest of the drive running a hand down Peter’s back and breathing in his scent. It didn’t matter if Peter was swathed completely in Tony’s bath products, he always smelt a little citrusy – like a fresh orange peel, the smell of it not very strong but there just enough to always be lingering. Sucking in one last breath of it, Tony shook the younger man awake – those sleepy eyes blinking up at him making his heart skip a beat. “Up and at ‘em, Petey,” Tony signed, then used those same hands to usher his soulmate out the door.

\----

In all the years he’d been around, Tony couldn’t remember having more fun. The vintage car show they spent way too much time at earlier that morning set the pace for the day. In their perusal of all of the different cars, they bumped into one of the purchasers of the initial Stark Ferrari line singing their praises. There was a big group around the vehicle and the man Tony recognized as Clint was talking about all the upgrades made to the car and the brand-new transmission installed within it. His eyes lit up when he noticed Tony standing at the edge of the group.

He luckily didn’t have to deal with a swarm of people asking him questions – Clint was elegant enough not to mention his presence. They stuck around to talk to him a little bit after the group thinned out and the man seemed to be pretty interested in their move to Boston. Peter and Tony both left with a card pressed into their hand and twin smiles on their faces. Little by little, it was starting to seem like the move was the best decision Tony could make. The reminders were nice and making it a little easier to settle into the concept of – well, settling down.

After the car show, they went right to T-Mobile Park. Peter seemed antsy the entire drive over, his hand playing on the seams of Tony’s jeans and then quickly running up and down the length of his thigh, instead. In their time together, Tony knew more about those little nervous habits than he cared to admit and found himself smiling – one of his hands eventually moving to gather up that same hand that seemed to be getting higher and higher up his thigh by the second. Tony saw Peter’s face blush, the boy sending him a sheepish smile and pulling his hand back.

“I’m so excited. I can’t wait to see a game in person. In all my time in New York, I’ve never been,” Tony nodded, the whole antsy feeling he’d been picking up making a lot of sense.

“You’re in for a treat, Petey. I got us really good seats and we’re early enough to watch batting practice.” Tony wiggled his eyebrows when he dropped his hands.

A huge smile swept across Pete’s face then, his hand coming up to rub across his heart a couple of times. Their silent way of saying ‘I love you’.

Not having to park saved them a ton of time. They were in the stadium in a flash and down by the field even quicker. There wasn’t much conversation between them for a while. Their seats were just off the home bench, so their view of each of the guys at the plate was pretty spectacular. Each athlete would take their turn, come mingle with the group collected by the side of the dugout, then disappear – probably to do whatever weird pre-game ritual necessary to play the night’s. Peter looked at him between each person that made their way over to him – the biggest smile on his face Tony could ever remember seeing.

“This is so cool,” Peter signed at him during a considerably longer round behind the plate than the rest they stood through. Tony didn’t know much about the sport but the whopping smile on Peter’s face made up for the knowledge gap. He’d been to enough Yankees and Mets games throughout his time in New York to get the concept, yet he’d never sat and enjoyed it the way they were now. Another couple of the guys hit before Tony was pointing towards the big shop at the very back of the stadium. There was still a bunch of time, anyway.

Sneaking into their seats right before the game was set to start, Tony shook his head, the jersey Peter convinced him to buy for himself now settled snuggly on his shoulders. He could see the shit eating smirk on his boyfriend’s face – it didn’t even take any convincing to get Tony to buy the damn thing, either. It didn’t matter, though – any residual embarrassment he felt was out the window when Peter pulled out his phone and took what felt like the billionth selfie of them. Looking at the image, Tony almost didn’t recognize himself. There was a huge smile there, one he knew belonged only to Peter – but something else too, something more profound. The same glow he could plainly see in Peter’s eyes reflected back in his own. What a concept, he thought – to be so happy with not just the man beside him, but himself, too. He wound a hand around Peter’s shoulders and kept him close for the rest of the game.

There were so many things racing through Tony’s mind when they left the stadium later that night. Peter’s hand was clutched around the foul ball he miraculously caught. It was like it was magnetized right into Peter’s hand. The game went into eleven innings and it was the most fun Tony could remember having sat in one stationary spot for that long of a time. The kisses on his cheek and the starry-eyed expression on Peter’s face made it way more than worth it. Peter slipped his free hand into Tony’s on the way out to the car waiting for them and suddenly the mass of people they needed to wade through didn’t seem so bad, anymore.

When Peter’s head tucked against his shoulder, Tony could’ve been persuaded to walk back to their rental if the other wanted. His thumb brushed lightly over the back of Peter’s hand, the man so desperate to soak up all of these moments – remember every single second of the last couple of days. Tony didn’t have a lot of fond memories, there wasn’t much to be excited about as an angsty teen. The rush of these emotional first times they got to share was almost too much. Almost.

On the last day in the city, Tony ordered a couple more needed groceries and cooked a huge late breakfast for the two of them. Despite all of the food they’d been eating during their time in the city, both men annihilated all of the breakfast eats Tony put together. Peter signed animatedly the entire time; his recollection of the previous day’s activities even sweeter than the fresh pictures flashing across the front of Tony’s mind. He didn’t contribute much to the conversation, the older man preferring to watch Peter talk with gusto – the success of the things he’d put together for the two of them to enjoy so very satisfying. When they got back to New York, there’d only be two days before Peter packed up the few things they didn’t bring earlier in the summer into the Charger and took off for Cambridge on his own. Tony tried to get him to postpone – there was a major meeting he needed to attend on the same day Peter left, but his other half was adamant. Tony knew how important freshman orientation was, anyway.

There were a few hours to kill between breakfast and getting on the plane to get home – just enough time to soak up the last little bit of intimacy with his soulmate. Their time together would be pretty limited when they got back and then a whole month needed to pass before Tony joined Peter out in the land of the nerdiest of nerds. He led Peter back to the bedroom, hands trailing down his flanks and over the globes of his ass the second they were in the room. The shirt he told Peter to pull on earlier was easy enough to get off – leaving the other man in just his boxer briefs and a saucy smile.

“Get on the bed, will ya?” Tony asked, his hands moving seamlessly through the signs, then down to pull his own shirt off. It didn’t take longer than a second for Pete to nod and climb on the comfy mattress, the lithe body turning until his back and long legs were on display. Digging around in his bag, Tony pulled out the warming massage lotion he thought to bring last minute – a triumphant smile on his face. He took off his shorts and briefs before joining Peter on the bed, his hips straddling the back of strong thighs.

They’d been at this long enough for Tony to feel comfortable touching without explicit permission – though his stop signs were always the same. Tony caught Peter looking over his shoulder curiously, his most favorite blush covering those adorable cheeks. “Lift up your hips a little,” Tony took advantage of the man looking at him to get the words out. Peter replied to the request quickly and Tony divested him of the offending garment keeping the last of him covered. Bare skin on bare skin never ceased feeling like a little piece of heaven on Earth – Tony’s breath knocked from him at first touch. He cracked his neck to distract himself, his head moving from side to side in one of his many de-stress techniques. The throb in his cock wanted attention – but Tony had other plans and felt determined to see them through. A nimble finger flipped opened the oil, the viscous liquid warming up on his palms the second it touched his skin. Rubbing his hands together, Tony spread the stuff before getting to work – his hands so knowledgeable now about the flesh beneath them.

The moan Peter obviously couldn’t help renewed Tony’s focus. He used the tips of his fingers to dig into the spots that felt tense and really dug in with all of his hand up and around Peter’s shoulders. They were constantly slumped under a hood; it was no surprise that most of the knots were strung along his upper back. He felt the muscles start to relax and loosen with each stroke – his efforts reaching the desired effect he’d been looking for. Peter started to writhe under him after a while, the noises coming out of his lover’s mouth much more purposeful. Tony caught his teeth between his lip and made the trip all the way down Pete’s back and ass cheeks, hands continuing even further until all of the stress was gone from the other’s upper body and big leg muscles. His skin felt like it was on fire and if the loud pants and murmurs coming from the body pressed against his own was any indication, Peter felt the same way.

Tony got up just enough to roll Peter over, the hands on the other’s hips were firm and determined in their movements. He settled into the v Peter’s legs created to accommodate him, a moan of his own leaving Tony’s lips at the familiar drag of cock against cock. His hands were still pretty slippery from the massage oil, so he trailed one between their bodies, his fingers wrapping tightly around each thickness to press sensitive flesh that much closer. Eager lips found his own, the pace of Peter’s just distracting enough to stave off the orgasm that was trying so very hard to throw him off the edge. Tangling their tongues together, Tony felt in control enough to move the hand wrapped around them – his fingers squeezing briefly, then gripping enough to move easily up and down tender skin and sensitive cock heads.

The precum on the tip of Peter’s cock pooling between them kept the motion slick and before long – control didn’t exist. The sticky-sweet combination of Peter’s hips pressing up and the insane pace of Tony’s hand brought the collective over the edge just a few minutes later. The mumbled ‘Tony’ against his lips never failed to bring him over – and this time wasn’t any different. The residual thrusts of Pete’s hips kept Tony grounded just enough to give them both a squeeze before letting go. There was a nasty amount of bodily fluids collecting between them, yet Tony couldn’t find it in him to move. Upon crashing on Peter’s chest, the other man wrapped his arms and legs around him – the mess mixing and spreading between them. There wasn’t enough energy in the room to do much of anything other than rearrange enough for Tony to not squish Peter and then they were asleep – post orgasmic glow enough to stave off inevitable itchiness that came with dry and crusted cum covered bellies.

\----

After the insanely amazing time in Seattle, returning back to New York felt a little bittersweet. Peter spent the return flight snuggled up in the same chair as Tony, the man absentmindedly running his fingers through curly, chestnut locks. He tried to memorize each pass of those fingers in the strands of his hair, the serene feeling of peace one he wanted to emulate – keep close to him and be able to use whenever things got to be too much. The soft presses of lips against the skin of his forehead almost had him turning into those arms and crying. There’d been so much joy and happiness in the last few days, it almost felt like whiplash – knowing that when they got back a whole month stood between them. Instead, he pushed passed the feelings trying to consume him and let the touch of those lips linger on his skin – Peter so very desperate to have them sink into his pores for good.

The time between getting off the plane and packing up his car flew by in a haze of remembering everything and hopelessly trying not to wail like the little baby he suddenly felt like he was. On his last night in town, May and Ben came to stay in Tony’s house with them – the family welcomed with open arms by the man himself. Ben showed some of his true colors in the kitchen and cooked a pretty decent bolognaise that even Italian Mr. Stark couldn’t deny was stupidly good. In the time he and Tony would usually retreat into the theater room to spend the night mindlessly watching whatever they could find, the four of them stayed around the kitchen table and played several hands of Uno – each of which getting more and more aggressive. The longer Tony spent across the table from May, the more shit talking there was. Peter watched in happiness as his aunt and soulmate argued over the true rules of a double skip – May’s hands gesturing wildly in Tony’s direction every few seconds. Ben pulled the plug the very next hand when May suddenly got up from the table – her momentum trying to pull her across the table in Tony’s direction.

The stupid way they all exploded into laughter shortly after getting the woman back into her seat made Peter’s heart feel so ridiculously full – the vision of his family before him exactly what he needed to get himself behind the wheel of the car the next day. The combination of too much wine and adrenaline had May a little weepy for the next little bit – Peter for once not minding. He let her give him tight hugs and pet his hair, the tears in her eyes enough to make him feel like an 8-year-old boy all over again. She gave him way too many kisses before Ben managed to drag her off to bed – a sigh of relief leaving Peter’s lips involuntarily.

There were so many things he’d miss about his family, about May, about Ben – their overprotectiveness was not one of them, however. Tony Stark was way more than enough of a watch dog – he could only take so much. Strong arms wrapped around him and the recognizable boniness of Tony’s chin pressed into the meat of Peter’s shoulder. Lips lingered at his neck for a few minutes before the man was turning him – his hands already moving to sign. “Let’s head to bed. I want to hold you for as long as I can.” Tony pressed a soft kiss to his lips – and didn’t wait for a reply. Calloused fingers wrapped around Peter’s and before he knew it, he was being led down the hall to bed.

Though there were so many things up in the air and worth stressing about the next day, Peter slept like a rock. So much so that when he woke up, they were in the same positions they’d been when Tony pulled him in to bed and tucked him against his chest. His movements were enough to bring the older man out of his slumber – the arms around him tightening for a second before a kiss was dropped against his forehead. Neither made any move to get up, so Peter relaxed into the warm skin, the familiar smell lulling him into comfortability for a little while longer. A couple taps on his shoulder what seemed like only seconds later brought him out of the little haze – a watery little smile on his lips when he looked up to meet Tony’s eyes. The same looked reflected back at him gave him a little more courage – at least he wasn’t the only one a little upset by the day’s activities. He leaned up and pressed a couple of lingering kisses to Tony’s lips – morning breath be damned. They lingered in the comfort of the cocoon of their body heat as long as possible – Peter’s phone flashing for the fifth time finally the thing to pull them apart. 

Before Peter could leave the bubble of their room, Tony stopped him with a firm hand on his shoulder. “I hate this. I know you do, too. I wish I could be with you right from the get-go. You deserve this though, Pete. I’ll miss the absolute fuck out of you, I know you know that, too. But – I want you to go enjoy this. Don’t dwell on time – I’ll see you soon.” Tony signed slowly, his hands moving between making the right word and touching Peter ever so softly. The older man finished with a circular brush over his heart and a soft press of his lips against Peter’s.

Peter forced his teeth in his lip, the bite a firm distraction from the irrational things that wanted to spill from him. He wrapped Tony up in a fierce hug and let the few tears he didn’t have a chance to stop fall against the warm skin of his other half’s neck. Pete took a huge step away then, his nose sniffling, but shoulders set and determined. “I know. You already told me I could annoy you with videos and lots of dumb texts, anyway. I aim to deliver,” Peter finally signed in reply, the slightest trace of his normal smile ghosting his lips.

Peter didn’t stick around long enough after that to prolong the inevitable, or even have a bit of breakfast. He needed to pull the band aid off and knew the only way to do that was pulling it in one fell swoop. He wrapped May and Ben up in a joint hug – Peter allowing himself to melt into the embrace half a second longer than initially planned, then broke away – May’s tears too much for the moment. Tony’s arms around him were firm and comforting – even if the embrace would never be long enough. The older man pressed a soft kiss to Peter’s brow, then his nose, and finally his lips – the touch lingering ever so slightly. When he pulled back, Tony spoke for the first time in a while, the soft ‘I love you’ recognizable without second thought. Peter replied out loud too, his voice slightly gravelly from lack of use – but there all the same. Tony’s smile made the now foreign experience a little less weird. They shared one more kiss – Peter clinging for just a second longer, and then he forced himself to pull away. He signed that he loved them all and quickly got into the car.

The 4 hour drive went pretty fast – Peter driving above the speed limit most of it in desperate attempt to push down all the thoughts threatening to creep up on him. There wasn’t any need to be sad – there wasn’t much distance between his family and the family he got to create in the place he’d be for at least the next four years. Tony seemed to agree, the constant array of songs in the back of his head the second-best companion Peter could have imagined. The lull of that music and the gentle nature of the car kept the drive easy, the feeling of being behind the wheel seemingly the ultimate cure all. Though he’d been there a few times, Peter used the GPS to find the house – the enormity still hitting him hard in the chest, even after all the times he’d gotten to see the place over the last few weeks. The Stark Industries keychain attached to the Charger keys held the house key, the lock easily clicking open not long after getting to the door to get inside. Walking in, he let a deep breath go – a sense of normalcy hitting him for the first time since leaving the city.

Aside from the four spare bedrooms, the rest of the house was completely decked out. They spent most of the remaining time of the summer adding a huge couch and chairs to the loft living area. The wall in front of the couch and chairs was covered with a wooden entertainment center, a 98” flat screen bolted to the wall in the open space of it. There were rooms for the several gaming consoles Peter packed up and brought with him in the car – he’d been playing the damn things until May and Ben got to the house the previous evening. The kitchen was supplied to Tony’s specific wants and needs and looked insanely inviting – Peter could easily see the two of them working together at the counters, weekends and evenings spent cooking dinner together fresh on the list of wants with Tony.

Though he didn’t think he’d spend too much time in it, a cool office sat off to the back part of the first floor – a couple of different computers and desks were butted up together and the rest of the room contained four solid walls of books. The pride and joy of the house was the garage and though he felt a little sad from the day, Peter couldn’t wait to get his hands dirty. There weren’t as many supplies as either were used to in the space, but they went all out to make sure they made the most of what they had. The Charger fit nicely in one of the couple parking spots in it – there would be plenty of room to work even with a couple more cars thrown into the mix.

The familiarity of the house made it pretty easy for Peter to get adjusted and before he knew it, a whole week passed. Admittedly, he didn’t do much other than fuck around in the garage and sleep in the huge king size bed they furnished their bedroom with. Peter felt confident about being away and liked the idea of getting to have a bit of anonymity. All the other time leading up to Peter’s orientation was spent with Peter driving around Cambridge and texting or video messaging with Tony. He did a tour on his own around campus and sent pictures any time he found something interesting and an extra special one of the cinnamon roll he had at the no-name coffee shop at the very edge of MIT’s campus.  
  
 **Peter Parker [1:21PM] _:_** This is the biggest cinnamon roll I’ve ever seen. It’s the size of my hand, see? [IMAGE ATTACHED]  
 **Peter Parker [1:22PM]** : And it’s delicious. I can’t wait to take you here. Their hot chocolate is really good, too. All your favorite things.

 **Tony Stark [1:31PM]** : Looks good. How long did it take you to finish it?  
 **Tony Stark [1:32PM]** : The obvious way to my heart, Petey. Send me a picture of the rest of their sweet selection. Do they have pound cake?

And so it went – every day, Peter would adventure out and see more of the city around him. Freshman orientation gave him all the insights he’d ever need to get around MIT, so he stuck to the city of Cambridge itself. He tried little pizza joints and sandwich shops, each a little different, each a new experience. Being deaf always made him feel a little uncomfortable in new places, yet Peter didn’t have any issues fitting right in. The rawness of that feeling made that tiny inkling of fate tingle a little brighter in the back of his head. Ever since they went house hunting and started to make the place their own – Peter felt more and more like they were finding themselves exactly where they needed to be. Every place Peter tried, he sent a selfie of himself to Tony, the food item of the time in his hand and a big sloppy smile on his face. Tony’s reactions were always varied and very easily the best. A lot of times, he missed the other man more after they messaged back and forth – the tease of his other half’s presence just not enough to really fill in the gap.

One particularly hard day, Peter woke up from a nightmare in the big empty bed and immediately felt down. He tossed and turned but couldn’t get settled despite the early morning. He reluctantly sat up and grabbed his phone, Tony’s text message from the night before still on the screen when he unlocked it.

 **Tony Stark [2:47AM]** : I miss you, Petey.  
 **Tony Stark [2:48AM]** : Crawling into bed after a long night in the garage isn’t the same without you.  
 **Tony Stark [2:48AM]** : Love you, sweetie.

Peter recalled opening up the text message bleary eyed and felt a sick mixture of love, longing, and sadness. His tiredness pulled him back into the world of sleep before he could reply – but the rest was not sound. Hitting the little information thing at the corner of Tony’s messages, Peter pressed the FaceTime button and relaxed back against the headboard. It was still pretty early, and Tony hadn’t been asleep that long – despite all that, Peter knew he’d pick up. Tony’s sixth sense for when Peter needed him so keen it was sometimes a little scary. And just like he thought – Tony’s sleep rumpled face appeared on the screen. There was a hilarious little sleep mark across the man’s left cheek and his hair was a total mess. In that moment, Peter wanted to wrap him up, press his nose to the warm spot he loved so much, and snuggle back under the warmth of Tony’s covers.

He felt himself smile and brought the camera down enough so he could sign with one hand and still have his face seen. “I miss you. Sorry it’s so early. Your message from last night made my heart hurt a little – I needed to see your face.” Peter watched Tony’s already relaxed face soften a little further.

Familiar fingers rubbed against the scruff on his chin before moving to sign a reply back. “Don’t be sorry, baby. It’s nice to see you. I haven’t been sleeping very well either, honestly.” Tony’s hands were a little sloppy with sleep – the softness of it adding to the scene. Peter wanted so much to be in that post-sleep warmth Tony was radiating.

“How much longer, again?” Peter signed, disguising the wipe of a single, traitorous tear that escaped against direct orders. Tony straightened a little, his errant hands moving the camera a bit until he was adjusted again. The move made his hair stick up a some more, the sight making Peter smile in the exact way he needed in that moment.

“Just five more days, Petey. I’ll be with you soon,” Tony smiled softly, his face echoing Peter’s sentiment exactly. “Go back to sleep, okay? Put the phone down where you can still see me, and we’ll sleep together for a little while.” Peter didn’t argue, his entire body a little more relaxed now that the stickiness of his bad dream and lingering sadness were abating little by little.

The next time Peter woke up, Tony was still asleep – so he kept the man on the line and carried the phone with him to the couch where he stayed until the sleepy eyes of the beautiful Tony Stark were looking at him once again.

\----

The nicest part about having access to a private jet was getting to change flights whenever the hell Tony wanted. Which – in a time when surprising Peter was the objective – was an absolute plus of having a few well-placed connections. All of the paperwork to hand over the CEO title of Stark Industries to Pepper was processed and the change became official 24-hours previously. All of the garage arrangements were made and the place for Happy he’d been looking for was settled and ready for the older man to move into.

There weren’t a lot of things Tony wanted to bring with him from New York. Steve and Bucky were perfect for the big promotion he gave them and could run his garages with the same efficiency they’d technically been doing for the past few years. The company as a whole was in good hands with Pepper – but Happy, Happy felt like Tony’s right arm. Where Peter settled in his core and became a part of him, Happy’s place in Tony’s life was less permanent, yet no less important. The only question Happy asked when Tony brought it up was when he’d need to be there.

With everything settled and exactly where it needed to be, Tony could finally be where his heart desired. The last week was a little bit more difficult than the rest of their time apart – Peter’s antsy nature putting a little pressure on the final countdown of days. The ability to get there early seriously couldn’t have come any sooner. He sent his other half a vague text about a meeting to make up for his absence on the plane and settled into the seat – his whole being more content now that he was one step closer to being where he belonged. The little more than an hour flight went pretty quickly – the weather remarkably tame for the time of the year. Navigating through the airport was pretty easy and the town car that picked him up was waiting against the curb when he got himself down from the terminal. The drive from the airport into the neighborhood went blessedly quick – the NPR on the driver’s radio just enough to numb all the thoughts in his brain.

Timing it just right, Tony got out of the car with little more than half an hour to spare before Peter got back from his Thursday night class. Over the last seven days, they’d been video messaging and FaceTimeing pretty constantly, so Tony was more than intimate with Peter’s schedule. The smooth way the key fit into the lock made him smile – the rightness of stepping into the house and seeing a pair of Van’s kicked against the wall by the door the best feeling Tony had access to since watching Peter drive away a month ago. He brought in the last couple of bags from the NYC place and got them put away before getting changed and letting himself relax into the huge couch in the admittedly beautiful loft space. His chest warmed further when he noticed the fact that the tv was still on with Netflix logo plastered on the screen. Peter must’ve come home for lunch and hadn’t been gone all that long. Tony settled into the little nest his boyfriend left behind, putting the first thing he saw on the screen to relax back to and wait for Peter.

He must have dosed off – the next thing Tony knew, soft lips were pressing against his forehead. The smile he blinked away to one that made him feel like he was dreaming for another couple of seconds. Peter’s eyes were covered with a thick framed set of glasses and his hair was a little messy from the other passing his fingers through it – but his mouth was spread wide and the tip of his cheeks were the familiar rouge Tony couldn’t get enough of. “Surprise!” he signed, his hands shaking in silent excitement. Peter’s eyes crinkled, the smile on his face growing even bigger in size.

“I thought I was supposed to pick you up tomorrow night. A human person being on the couch scared the shit out of me, but when I noticed it was you – well, I’m glad you were asleep. I might have danced,” Peter signed back to him, his hands excited – the other obviously deprived of the ease of this type of conversation being on his own. Tony smiled and grabbed those antsy hands, each finger getting a kiss. He let them go to lean up and press his lips to Peter’s, the kiss a final reminder that he’d finally made it – he was finally home.

“Wake me up next time – that little clappy thing you do is the cutest.” The blush on Peter’s cheeks had them both laughing – the sound ending abruptly when Tony pulled Peter down and onto the couch with him.

That’s where the night ended, too – the two of them curled carelessly together on the couch, Peter’s glasses askew from the kisses neither could ignore wanting to share, Tony’s hair a true mess from fingers running through it, the aftermath of travel and a handsy boyfriend a floppy disarray. The intimacy of finally being in the place that was theirs and theirs alone healed all of the shit four weeks of distance brought.

Peter’s touches lingered and when they lost their clothes and the younger man slipped around the heat of Tony’s length – they could both let go with the thought of finally, finally making their house a home. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for tagging along! I'm in the process of finishing up a stripper!Tony fic that I'm really excited about, so definitely check back in the next couple of days. I'm always taking prompts and looking for new ideas. If you've got one, drop a comment below - or just stop in to say hello! 
> 
> Catch me over at ohwereusingourmadeupnames on tumblr! I'm always up for answering questions or taking on prompts there, too! 
> 
> Stay classy AO3.


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